WAMP Server won't work

Question

I'm using WAMP. I was out of business for two weeks than I'm back and trying to start my wamp 2. BANG. Nothing happens. The red W icon appears among the hidden icons. When I click it, shows all services offline.

• WAMP Version: 2.1
• APACHE: 2.2.17 (shipped with WAMP)
• PHP: 5.3.4 (shipped with WAMP)

• MYSQL: 5.1. 53 (shipped with WAMP)

• WAMP install directory: I put it to a custom directory (not the default route).

• MYSQL event: I'm using Ruby on Rails and I had some annoying problem about a missing dll thing. I replaced it, but after that I used without problems and limitations the WAMP.

Ideas:

• Restart the computer: same issue.
• Skype on: never use Skype. However it's installed.
• Port 80 taken: no, I tested in the apache>service.
• Log files: all 3 empty. There are several weeks old lines only.

Every time I start it, shows Offline, the icon is red and can't start any service. Tried to restart the program also. Nothing happens.

I've double posted this because stackoverflow guys suggested this to be here.

Answer 1

The problem wasn't the port 80 thing. Neither the IIS thing thats mentioned usually. Nor helped several reinstalls with different tricks (delete the records in regedit linked to wamp is mentioned usually).

The solution was a kind of localhost issue.

Steps:

• Try - http://127.0.0.1 - if it shows up the WAMP start page than you are on the right path

• Open the hosts file with Notepad - c:/windows/system32/drivers/etc/hosts

• Make sure there is only one line about the localhost like this:

  127.0.0.1 localhost
  

  This isn't good:

  127.0.0.1 localhost
  1 localhost
  

  Or I had something like this (cant remember exactly):

   127.0.0.1 localhost ::localhost localhost127.0.0.1 
  

• Save and close the hosts file and BANG. It works than.